


Gus's Picture

by bjfic_archivist



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Canon, Drama, Fluff, Future, No Slash, Romance, Sequel, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-06-23
Updated: 2007-06-23
Packaged: 2018-12-27 00:05:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12069705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bjfic_archivist/pseuds/bjfic_archivist
Summary: Gus comes to visit Brian and Justin, once again prompting a new change.  Third is the series staring with "Gus' Big Day."





	Gus's Picture

**Author's Note:**

> Note from IrishCaelan, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Brian_Justin_Fanfiction_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in September 2017. I posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjfic/profile).

  
Author's notes:

Beta'd by Shadownyc.

* * *

"Hello."

"Hey, Gus."

"Justin! Did you ever stop barfing?" Gus asked, giggling. 

"Eventually, Gus. Sorry you had to see that," Justin replied, thinking back to the few nights before when he and Brian had had food poisoning. 

"That's okay. I'm tough. I've never seen anyone barf that much." Gus answered. 

"Damn that roadside stand," Justin thought. He felt his stomach roll over at the Gus's vivid recollection.

"Besides, I got to have Twinkies and Oreos for breakfast when you were sick. Mommy never lets me have the good stuff."

"Let's keep that between us, if that's okay with you. We don't want Mommy or Mama getting mad at us," Justin paused, "You didn't get sick, did you?"

"No, I'm great. Daddy said you would probably be there for my birthday party at his house. We're going to dress up like pirates."

Justin hated these conversations because Gus always blind-sided him one way or another. He hadn't heard yet about the party. "Well, Gus, I'll definitely try to be there."

Justin heard Melanie's voice in the background, "Come on Gus, we have to go to the store." 

"Gus, remember to hang up the phone after we say 'Bye,' okay?" Justin encouraged.

"Okay, Justin. Bye!" Gus answered. 

Justin waited. He heard muffled noises, as if Gus was trying to replace the phone, and then a thud.

"Oh well," he thought, grinning. "He's getting closer."

A few minutes later, Justin, working himself into a full queen-out fit over Brian, picked up his cell phone only to have it ring in his hand.

"Hey, Sunshine." Brian sounded cheerful.

"Hey yourself." 

"Who peed on your artwork today?" Brian asked.

"I just talked to Gus. He invited me to his party at your house, which, of course, you haven't told me about. I thought I told you I would kick your ass if you pulled that shit on me again."

Brian laughed. "Princess, I was just calling you to ask if you'd be moved home by then. You only just left here yesterday."

"Okay then," Justin huffed and broke into a huge grin. "I do need to give my boss at the art store a few weeks notice. I should be home for Gus's party, though."

"Where you belong," Brian added, almost to himself. "By the way, Lindsay already called and read me the riot act for giving Gus Twinkies for breakfast. Gus told her straight out that he wanted to live with us so that he could eat Twinkies every day.

Justin sighed. He hadn't talked to Gus in time.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
Three days earlier....

Justin woke up to brilliant sunlight shining in through the slats in the blinds of the master bedroom. He was spooned against Brian. He ran his hand up Brian's arm. Brian, probably still asleep, rolled onto his back. One eye cracked open, and Brian smiled sleepily. Justin slung one leg over Brian's body and laced his fingers through Brian's left hand. Brian absently squeezed his hand, and then Brian's eyes widened as he felt the firm resistance from Justin's ring where it touched his. Justin rolled completely on top of Brian.

"Ready for another round?" Justin asked.

Brian yawned. Groggily, he answered, "I think we fell asleep about five minutes ago."

"Well," Justin answered, "Your age was bound to catch up to you...." Justin didn't even get to finish the sentence before Brian had flipped him over onto his back. 

A short while later, Brian, Gus, and Justin sat around the kitchen island having cereal. Gus whined slightly about having Cheerios, but Melanie and Lindsay had insisted that he have something healthy to eat at breakfast, either Cheerios or oatmeal.

Justin, knowing the weather was supposed to be beautiful for early spring, wanted to get out of the house. "Brian, did we pass a lake about 10 miles down the road? With a small beach?" 

Brian, busy heaping sugar into his coffee and sneaking a Twinkie while Gus wasn't watching, looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Yeah, I think so," he answered slowly, his mouth full.

"What do you say we take Gus there later? He could play in the sand, and I'd love to paint. Trouble is, I didn't bring any of my supplies with me."

Gus, listening to this exchange, answered Justin. "I did Justin! I have my paints. You could use them if you want." Brian, standing behind Gus, smiled at Justin.

"That's nice of you, Gus, but Justin does have supplies here. He just doesn't know it yet." Turning to Justin, he said, "I asked Lindsay what you might need." 

Coming around the counter, Justin pulled Brian's head down to kiss him. Brian reached his free arm around and ran his hand through Justin's hair.

"Yuck, kissing again," Gus pretended to gag.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
Brian climbed out of the car, leading the way to the isolated beach area at the lake. Justin, lugging a cooler, blanket, and painting supplies, followed slowly behind him. Gus ran ahead to Brian, who picked him up and swung him around. Gus squealed. 

Gus and Brian set out to find the round, flat stones at the edge of the water. Brian stood behind Gus, trying to show him how to skip the rocks across the water. Gus got frustrated when his rocks splashed into the water rather than gracefully skimming the top. Brian took Gus's hand in his, and Justin watched as the rock skipped three times before plunging down. Gus's face lit up; he turned to Justin and threw out his arms in triumph. 

Justin set up his easel, allowing his mind to take in the scenery. His brush flowed easily over the paper; brilliant colors coalescing into a picture. Gus eventually came over and set up his own watercolors and paper. Gus and Justin worked companionably while Brian took a nap on the blanket. 

Finally, Justin stood up to stretch and looked at Gus's painting. He kissed the top of Gus's head. 

Gus asked shyly, "Justin, would you like to have my painting?"

"I'd be thrilled to have it, Gus." 

Gus, who looked tired but pleased, nodded and handed it to Justin. Gus walked down to the water to try to skip a few more stones. Justin sat down on the blanket next to Brian, who was still sleeping with a small smile on his face. Justin relaxed, enjoying the quiet and watching Brian's chest rise and fall. 

On the way home, Gus perked up when they passed by an ice cream stand. "Daddy, please turn around! I NEED ice cream." 

Brian looked over at Justin, who raised his eyebrows. "Sounds good to me too, Brian."

They pulled into the stand. Brian and Justin shared a chocolate chip cone, while Gus had a strawberry one. They sat on a picnic table, legs stretched out in the sun.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gus asked, later that evening, "Can we watch a movie? Please?" 

Justin inserted one of Gus's favorite movies, Shrek, into the DVD player. Justin and Brian settled down on the couch to watch, with Gus sprawled out on the floor in front of them. Gus, getting more and more excited as the film played, moved closer and closer to the screen, until he was a few feet away with his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Brian seized this opportunity to begin playing with hairs on the back of Justin's neck, which Brian knew drove Justin crazy. Brian ran his other hand lazily up Justin's thigh.

After Shrek met Fiona, however, Brian's hands stilled. 

Justin looked over at Brian, "You're looking a little green. Are you okay?"

Brian weakly laughed, "Is that some kind of Shrek joke?" 

"Seriously, are you okay?" 

A few moments later, neither Brian nor Justin was laughing.

Brian ran for the upstairs bathroom, Justin the downstairs one.

Brian made it; Justin didn't. Instead, Justin ended up vomiting into the kitchen sink, while Gus watched, fascinated.

"Justin, this kid in my class barfs all the time, but I've never seen anybody barf like that." Gus said in awe.

"Please, Gus," Justin said, holding up his hand as he felt a new wave of nausea coming, "Stop. Can you go get ready for bed?"

In between visits to the bathroom, Brian telephoned Lindsay. "Could you please come and get Gus tomorrow morning instead of tomorrow evening? This sucks. Yes, both Justin and I are really sick; it must've been the ice cream. Bye, Linds, got to go." He finished hurriedly and dashed up the stairs again.

Thankfully, Gus remained blissfully healthy. The next morning, he crept into Brian and Justin's room. "Could I have some breakfast?"

"Sorry, Gus," Brian sat up, then grimaced and quickly lay back down. "Do you think you could get yourself something out of the cabinet?"

"Oh, yes!" Gus quickly dashed out of the room, making thumping noises as he ran down the stairs.

Justin entered the kitchen a short while later to find Gus sitting in a pile of Oreo crumbs and Twinkie wrappers, looking a little wild-eyed and green himself. Justin heard the front doorbell, and he quickly swept the trash into the bin and put Gus's glass in the sink. He took a wet paper towel and hastily tried to get the cookies and cream off of Gus's face.

Justin helped Gus gather his stuff, and then waved from the doorway as Gus went to kiss his Mom and Mama. Neither appeared to want to get too close to Justin. 

"Did he have breakfast?" Melanie asked.

"He sure did," Justin called, and muttered to himself, "Please don't let him vomit all over their car." 

"Bye, Gus!"

"Bye, Justin!"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few weeks later...

Justin adjusted his headphones, hoping to drown out the obnoxious woman next to him. She seemed to neither notice nor care that he had headphones on and hadn't responded in any way to her monologue. He had only been in the air about 10 minutes, but he had already heard her life story and medical history shouted over the music on his iPod.

His foot touched his messenger bag, which contained Gus's picture that he had framed, as well as the one that Justin had painted that day on the beach. He smiled to himself.

After another five minutes and a long, excruciating explanation of the woman's back surgery, he said, slowly and loudly "Lo siento, pero yo no hablo ingles senora," to the woman next to him. He tried to look apologetic.

She stared at him a moment, and then turned bright red and busied herself with her knitting.

He twisted his ring with his finger, thinking about his departure from New York. 

"Back to Pennsylvania," he thought, "Where I belong."

 


End file.
